7. The Album Leaf - Twentytwofourteen
There comes a moment in the life of every artist where they reach their zenith and no matter how hard they try, they can never reach those heights again. For Jimmy LaValle, this highpoint came with his solo project The Album Leaf, specifically the three minutes and forty-four seconds of bliss served up in “Twenty Two Fourteen.” It is a track dripping in melody and rich with a warmth few other tracks can match. As opening bars of resonant organ tones hum, every note is delivered with perfect timing and each individual layer adds a whole new depth and emotion – the rising ambience, glockenspiel chimes, saw flourishes, string melodies, and those unmistakable skittering drums building to the sweeping climax. “Twenty Two Fourteen” is a work of sheer, unadulterated beauty capable of moving the listener to faraway places and in ways unimagined. (James Ould)
